Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Portmore

For one person, living is cheaper in Portmore: $1,246 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
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Portmore Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,246

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Portmore

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Toronto and in Portmore actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,561 per month in Toronto vs $1,246 in Portmore, rent included.

Toronto $2,561
Portmore $1,246

A couple spends around $3,694 per month in Toronto vs $2,073 in Portmore, rent included.

Toronto $3,694
Portmore $2,073

A family of three spends $4,826 per month in Toronto vs $2,900 in Portmore, rent included.

Toronto $4,826
Portmore $2,900

Toronto costs about 106% more than Portmore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Toronto sits 90% above the global median, while Portmore is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.29

$10.15 JMD 1,603

69.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$107

$63.3 JMD 10.0K

19.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.89

$8.04 JMD 1,270

31.09%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$5.43 JMD 859

-25.97%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 CA$3.00

$0.90 JMD 143

135.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$0.66 JMD 104

165.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.83

$2.18 JMD 345

186.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.02

$2.16 JMD 342

228.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$3.02 JMD 478

-19.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$3.49 JMD 551

-23.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$1.02 JMD 161

119.61%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$3.61 JMD 571

-1.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.85

$11.52 JMD 1,821

-21.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$6.30 JMD 996

79.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

$9.43 JMD 1,490

54.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$5.99 JMD 946

-39.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$3.93 JMD 620

-69.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$2.96 JMD 468

21.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$3.01 JMD 476

39.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$3.30 JMD 521

-45.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$2.60 JMD 411

-38.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.59 JMD 251

42.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$1.26 JMD 199

-0.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$9.64 JMD 1,523

43.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$11.24 JMD 1,776

26.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.10

$2.81 JMD 444

-21.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$2.26 JMD 356

7.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$2.29 JMD 361

4.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

$50.2 JMD 7,931

120.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$0.96 JMD 152

203.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$3.09 JMD 488

-61.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

$6.24 JMD 985

242.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.18 JMD 187

2.54%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$43.1K JMD 6.8M

-34.61%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

-37.33%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$120 CA$170

$155 JMD 24.5K

-22.26%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$32.26 CA$45.60

$29.01 JMD 4,583

11.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$52.7 JMD 8,322

-9.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.4

$60.2 JMD 9,503

-36.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.50

$13.38 JMD 2,114

-7.47%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$830 CA$1,173

$285 JMD 45.1K

190.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

$3,143 JMD 496.5K

634.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$71.7

$23.25 JMD 3,674

118.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$30.94 JMD 4,889

29.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

24.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$94.5 JMD 14.9K

27.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,251

$307 JMD 48.6K

417.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$1,994

$216 JMD 34.1K

553.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,775

$656 JMD 103.7K

306.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,042

$590 JMD 93.3K

264.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.2K

$7,466 JMD 1.2M

6.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,249

$5,702 JMD 900.9K

14.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,269

$1,301 JMD 205.5K

186.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

9.45

-52.70%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Portmore: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Portmore

$216 17.3% 84.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Portmore

$336 27% 1.1% $3.7

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Portmore

$192 15.4% 31% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Portmore

$237 19% 17.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Portmore

$102 8.2% 26.5% $37

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Portmore

$76 6.1% 41.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Portmore

$87 7% 37.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,592 in Toronto versus $307 in Portmore. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 186% higher in Toronto, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Toronto versus $63.0 in Portmore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $336 – making Portmore the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇯🇲 Portmore

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

16:04 4:04 PM

1 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

170,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Portmore 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Portmore

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Toronto vs Portmore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto costs about 106% more than Portmore, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Toronto and $1,868 in Portmore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Portmore, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 121% less in Portmore. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $830 per month in Toronto and $285 in Portmore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Portmore, where all-in costs run around $1,246, than in Toronto at $2,561. In Portmore it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Portmore – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Portmore. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Toronto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.